Could He Be My Dark Knight?
by blazergrl89
Summary: A small town girl moves to the big city when her brother gets a job there...She just so happens to keep running into Batman
1. Chapter 1

I sighed as I dropped my bags in the floor of my new room. I did not want to be here, in the most crime infested city of America, but I'm doing this for my brother. He's all I have, so what does he do? He goes out and risks his life every day at work. My brother is a cop who was "recruited" to work here in Gotham City. Apparently the city was ran by mobsters and no one could be trusted, so when Lieutenant Gordon became promoted to Commissioner he went out looking for the best of the best to be part of his team. Don't get me wrong, I'm flatter that my brother was offered the job, but I didn't think he would actually accept.

I am old enough to go live on my own, but I just don't want to leave my brother, at least not yet. I'm not ready. Before "the incident" that took our parents' lives occurred, my brother and I hated each other. It's true that we were younger so it's natural for kids to fight, but I mean we _hated_ each other. Then, our parents were murdered and Tim became my protector. He swore to never let anything bad happen to me, so when he told me he was moving that meant I was moving too.

I laid down on my bed thinking about why we were here. I've heard about all the stories of the villains who haunted this city. First off were the mobsters, then The Scarecrow, The Joker, and I also heard faint stories of a man named Two-Face. But then I've also heard about a ray of hope, about the man who stopped all of them…at least I think he is a man. A man named Batman. I've heard so many things about him. He's a hero, he's a vigilant, he's a savior, he a killer. In my personal opinion, a man who saves lives can never be a monster, but yet that is how they are portraying him.

In the middle of my thoughts I heard a knock at the door, "Kris, can I come in?" I heard my brother ask from the other side of the door.

"Sure," I answered quietly. Tim walked in and sat next to me on my bed. "You ok?" he asked. I just nodded. I really didn't want to talk about it right now.

"You need any help unpacking?" He was trying to make nice with me. "No," I answered without any emotion. He sighed.

"Kris, don't be like this," he was starting to anger me. "Tim, please. I just want to be alone now," I told him trying to be as nice as possible. He sighed again.

"Alright, but just so you know tomorrow night we are going to a party," I looked at him like he was joking. "What kind of party?"

"Apparently the city's richest man, Bruce Wayne, wants to throw a party for Commissioner Gordon and his new men," he said proudly. I rolled my eyes.

"Then why do I have to go?" I asked rudely. He smiled. "It's for us and our _families_," he said putting special emphasizes on the word "families."

Before I could come up with an excuse he was out my room and into his with the door shut. "Whatever," I mumbled to myself. I started to unpack, with the first thing I got out…my computer. I loved my computer. It was my way of getting away from things.

"Well," I thought, "since I'm gonna be living here, might as well look for a job." In all honesty I really had no idea about where I wanted to work. Back home in Georgia I worked as a waitress at night, while I went to school during the day. I was so close to graduating before Tim told me we were moving. Soon I'm going to apply to another college, and I'm going to graduate. No one in my family has ever graduated college, and I made a promise to my dad before he died that I would finish college.

I goggled for jobs in the area. I found that a local restaurant was looking for some live music. I could do that. I love to playing the guitar and singing along. I wrote the number down and made a mental note to remember to call in tomorrow.

As soon as I finished writing down the number our doorbell rang.

Who would be coming over this late? We don't know anyone…


	2. Chapter 2

Tim and I both walked out of our rooms at the same time. I started to get a little worried when I saw that he had his gun drawn. He walked over to the door and looked thru the peep-hole. He sighed in relief, put his gun back in his holster, and opened the door.

I stood there and watched two men walk into our small apartment living room. One was an older man. He had grayish hair, wore glasses and had a mustache. He shook my brother's hand first. The second man was much younger with his brown hair combed back, and looked very muscular. I noticed that they were both wearing suits, but the younger man's looked much nicer than the other's. The older man shook hands with my brother while they said their hellos.

"Mr. Tim Morris," the older man started out while shaking my brother's hand, "this is Mr. Bruce Wayne," and he made a gesture towards the younger man. They exchanged greetings, and then my brother motioned for me to come over.

"Commissioner Gordon, Mr. Wayne, this is my younger sister Kristina," my brother introduced me. I shook Commissioner Gordon's hand first, and then I shook Bruce's. When I was shaking Bruce's hand he gave mine a gentle squeeze while looking me in the eyes and smiling. "Hi," I said shyly to both of them, mainly due to Bruce's smile.

"Come in and make yourselves at home," my brother told the men. They walked in and sat down on the couch. "I'm sorry about the mess. We just started unpacking our things not too long ago," I tried to apologize for the way our place was looking, when Bruce held up his hand. "No, please. We understand one-hundred percent," he told me with a smile. I couldn't help but smile back. His smile was gorgeous. Heck, he was gorgeous.

"Can I get anyone something to drink or anything?" I asked trying to be a polite hostess. Tim and Commissioner Gordon shook their heads, while I received a polite, "No, thank you," from Bruce.

"So, what brings y'all by our humble abode tonight gentlemen?" my brother asked. I tried not to laugh at how my brother was talking while I sat down in a chair wanting to stay and listen in on the conversation.

"Well Tim," the commissioner started out, "Bruce just wanted to formally meet all of my new men and thank them for taking on the job."

Bruce nodded and then spoke, "Yes. Being a cop here in Gotham City is not the easiest job in the world, and I wanted to thank everyone for coming here to help protect the city that I love and grew up in," I couldn't help but smile. That was so kind of Bruce.

"Well, thank you, Mr. Wayne for making the trip over here. You must be a busy man, and to take time out of your schedule to do that was very nice of you," Tim said. Bruce smiled.

"I hope that you two will be joining us tomorrow night at my party," Bruce said with that handsome smile of his. Tim nodded, "Oh, yes sir. We will _both_ be there," Tim said while glaring over at me. I just smiled innocently at him.

Bruce picked up on this, "I don't want to force any one to come. If you don't want to go Ms. Morris, then you don't have to," he said politely. Oh crap…

"Oh, no sir. It's not like that. It was just earlier my brother received the impression that I did not want to come, but he left before I could say otherwise," I winked at my brother.

Bruce and Commissioner both laughed, "Good, because I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow night," Bruce winked at me without my brother seeing. I blushed.

"Well, we need to be going. It's getting awfully late, and I need to escort Mr. Wayne home," the commissioner said, "Oh yeah, and Morris," he started before he walked out the door, "You seem to be the best out of the new men, so I'm giving you the job of Lieutenant. Don't screw it up," and with that both Commissioner Gordon and Bruce Wayne were out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

I had orginally had chapter 3 and 4 as one chapter but it was way too long, so I had to break them up...Just letting you know that's why I eneded it where I did...Hope you like it and please leave a comment! I love reading them, and thanks for the ones I already have! =)

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The next morning I woke up, and to my surprise I was actually excited about the party tonight. I hope I get to spend more time with Bruce Wayne. There was just something about him that made me want to get to know him more. Maybe his smile, or the way he seemed to be such a gentlemen, I'm not sure but I can't wait until tonight.

A knock was at my door and my brother walked in. "Kris," he started seriously, "I'm about to go to work. You know this city is tough, and if you go out I want you to take this with you," he chunked something on my bed. I picked it up…pepper spray. He would…

"Thanks, Tim," I told him nonchalantly. This wasn't anything out of the ordinary for my brother. Heck, he even gave me a bottle the night of my prom when he knew I was going with a family friend…

"I'm serious this time, Kris. Promise me that if you go out, you'll take it with you," he told me looking me in the face. I sighed, "I promise."

"I'll be home early tonight. Gordon's going to let me come home early and get ready for the party tonight. I should be home around 7ish. Be good, and call me if you need _anything_," he told me seriously.

"Don't worry so much. I probably won't even go out, but I am gonna call in about this job offering I read about," he thought about it. "Ok, fine, but remember that," he pointed to the pepper spray. I nodded, "Be safe, Lieutenant Morris!" I saluted him. I didn't like it when my brother was so serious, so I'd always tell him good-bye with a salute.

Once I got out of bed I got the number that I wrote down last night and called…The manager of the restaurant, he told me that I can have audition tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it. So, I unpacked my guitar and played a little, just to refresh my skills and what not.

Now that the job thing is out of my way, I can start looking for what I'm going to wear tonight. I started looking through the clothes that I had packed up. Everything that I picked out, I hated. Just my luck too, I don't have any friends here to go shopping with. I sighed. I think I'll just keep looking and try to make something work.

Finally after almost an hour and a half of looking, I found the perfect dress. It was a light blue dress that was floor length with diamond straps. Perfect. I had worn this dress to prom and all my friends loved it. I just hope it still fits, so I tried it on. It fit like a glove. "Sweet!" I thought to myself.

I decided to take a shower and start getting ready for the party early; I know it won't take Tim long at all. By the time I got out of the shower and started my makeup Tim was home. He hopped in the shower (of I forgot to mention, we have to _share_ a bathroom…it sucks) while I was forced to do my hair in my room.

Finally both of us were ready and on our way to the party. I took a breath before I spoke to my brother, "Tim, just a warning," I started out slowly, "if any man comes up to me and starts talking, please I'm begging you, do not threaten him in any way, shape, or form," I told him seriously.

He laughed. "Ok, ok. Not this time because it's suppose to be a fancy party, but if this was at any other place…" he trailed off. "Oh, but if I see any drunk men talking to you…" I sighed. "Fine, but if they aren't drunk just let them be. Deal?" He nodded. "Deal."

When I walked into the party, I couldn't get over how many people were all so nicely dressed, and the house. The house was amazing, beautiful lights everywhere, amazing paintings, fine china; Bruce really must be the richest man in this town.

"Ah, Mr. and Ms. Morris, I'm so glad you could make it," Bruce greeted us with his gorgeous smile as we walked in. Tim and Bruce shook hands and made formal greetings, but then Tim was off and left me alone with Bruce. "That was weird, normally he would never do that, but I guess I'm just going to have to take advantage of this situation," I thought slyly to myself.

"Ms. Morris, no date tonight?" Bruce asked. I shook my head. Was I supposed to bring a date? "No, sir, we did just move here. I don't really know anyone well enough to feel comfortable bringing them to a party such as this," he nodded. "I guess you are right, and please stop calling me 'Sir.' I'm just Bruce," he said with a genuine smile. I smiled back, "Alright, Bruce," I tried it out with a smile. He laughed.

"So, do you throw parties like this often?" I asked. "Well sometimes. Now more than I use to. Lately I've just had more time on my hands then I use to," I nodded.

"Well it's very nice, everything is lovely," I told him looking around again to admire the remarkable house. "Thank you, Ms. Morris. That means a lot coming from you," I blushed.

Suddenly the lights dimmed and slow music came on, and to my surprise people actually started to dance with one another. Back home when I would attend any kind of event no one really danced. I stood to the side with Bruce and watched the people ballroom dance.

Bruce held out his hand to me, "Would you like to dance, milady?" he asked me quietly. I blushed. I wanted to so badly, but I didn't know how to dance. "I'm sorry, Bruce," his facial expression was heartbreaking. I leaned in closer so only he could hear, "I don't know how to dance," I whispered to him. Soon his face became lit up again, and he took my hand.

"Well Ms. Morris, it is time for you to learn," he told me as he pulled me close to him and placed one hand on my hip and the other interlaced with mine. "Now, put your hand on my shoulder," I did as he told. "And just follow my lead," he whispered into my ear.

My heart was pounding. I was so giddy at that moment; nothing could pull me down from the cloud that I was on. Sure I had a couple of slip-ups now and then, but Bruce would just laugh and encourage me.

"You're doing great for your first time. I do believe you are a natural," I laughed. "I'm doing so well because I have such a wonderful teacher," I flirted a little, and to my surprise I think I saw him blush. I couldn't be sure though because of the dimmed lights.

Once the song was over, Bruce pulled back a little but didn't let go of me. "You look beautiful tonight, Kristina," I blushed again, but smiled. He really needed to stop doing that. "Thank you, Bruce," I said.

Right before I could compliment him someone went up on stage and called Bruce up there for a speech. Before he left me he leaned in and kissed my cheek, "Save me another dance," he whispered. I giggled a little and nodded. What was this man doing to me? I felt like I was in high school all over again, with a little school girl crush.

While Bruce was on stage my brother came over to me. He nudged his elbow in to me, "Soooo, Bruce Wayne, huh?" I laughed and gave him a playful shove, "Knock it off, butthead," and with that he pulled me into a playful hug. "Ah, some things just never change," he laughed and let me go.

It was starting to get too hot inside for me. I felt like I needed some air, "Hey Tim, I'm going to step outside for a little air. If Bruce comes back before I do will you tell him that's where I went?" He sighed. "I guess I'll be my sister's keeper, this one time," I laughed. "Thanks, butthead," I winked and headed out the door.

The cool night's breeze felt amazing on my burning skin. This is just what I needed. I normally don't really like crowded places, especially when everyone is inside. I have a history of passing out easily when I get too hot or see something grotesque, I drop like a Georgia Pine.

I started to aimlessly walk around a little while I was admiring the city lights. I've never seen such a big city before. It was like the city lights made up for the fact that there was no possible way _anyone_ could see stars from here.

While I was lost in thought it seemed that I had wondered too far. I was knocked back into reality when I overhead some men talking, and of course I had walked into a freaking alley. What was I thinking? Tim is going to kill me. Suddenly I remembered my pepper spray…that I left at home sitting on my bedside table. Crap, the first and only time I actually _need_ it, I don't have it.

"Hey, hey, pretty lady!" I heard one of the men yell. I kept my head down and started to walk back to the party. Back home some guys like to make comments like that, but if I ignored them they went away…I doubt these people will do that though, but it wouldn't hurt to try…


	4. Chapter 4

I walked faster but just as I was about to walk out of the alleyway a man stepped in front of me with a knife. "Why is such a pretty lady out without an escort?" he asked in a patronizing tone. I was about to smart off, but then I saw his knife.

"What do you want?" I asked trying to keep my voice calm and confident. "Well you see, no one can just walk through our alley without a price," he had a smirk on his face. Crap, I didn't have my purse, or else I would have given it to him and ran.

"So," he continued, "you can either give us something valuable or," he walked closer towards me and ran his knife softly along my neck down my chest, "we can take you. Which will it be?" I took a deep breath trying not to panic. I didn't have any money, but I was wearing diamond earrings. My father gave them to me when I was in 5th grade. I don't want to give them away, but I don't want to die for them either…Tears welled up in my eyes as I started to take out the earrings, but he stopped me.

"Wait, I've changed my mind," he looked behind me. I could feel that there were more of his men behind me, "I think me and my boys would like _you _instead," this is when I started to panic. I kicked and screamed. All my self defense tricks that Tim taught me went out the window.

The man with the knife held it to my neck, "Shut up or I'll make it where you won't be able to make a sound ever again!" I lost it. I started sobbing. I didn't care about what they thought, or how I looked or anything. I just wanted to get away from here alive.

"Please! I'll give you my diamonds, please," I begged, "just don't do this," I was trying to get any sort of sympathy or maybe bribe them with my earrings.

"I said shut up!" and with that he slapped my face, leaving what I was sure would turn into a bruise. I fell backwards, but instead of hitting the ground I landed in the arms of creepy old men. While I struggled to get away from them, I heard huge crash and then what sounded like punches.

I looked up to see a man wearing all black, a mask, and a cape, who was beating the crap out of the leader of these creepy old men. I could only assume that the man in black was Batman. I was so confused; they said that Batman hasn't been sighted in almost two years. Why would he come back now? I didn't understand. Once he was done with the first guy he turned to face the men that were holding me now.

"Don't move or she gets it!" one of the men yelled while pushing another knife against my neck. Batman glared at them, "Let her go," he demanded. His voice was so deep, rough, and scratchy. "Why should we? There are more of us than you!" the guy screamed back, but his voice seemed shakier this time, like he was becoming frightened.

Before I knew what was going on there was a cloud of smoke around us, and I could feel someone grabbing me to pull me aside. Once out of the smoke I noticed that the person who grabbed me was indeed Batman. "Stay here," he told me as he gently pushed me into a crack between two buildings. I watched from my hiding spot as Batman took on all of the creepy men who were trying to rob me, without any hesitation. He was amazing; I don't think he got one scratch.

Once the men were unconscious, Batman tied them all up for the police. He walked over to me, "Its safe now," he told me. I slowly came out of my spot, still a little shaken up. "Are you ok?" he asked, seeming quiet sincere. I looked down at my dress, it was dirty and torn. I'm sure my makeup was all over my face from all the crying that happened, and I know my hair's a wreck.

"I'm fine now, thank you so much," I told him, while looking him in the eyes. He stared into mine, but then quickly looked away. "We need to get you home," he told me. Then I remembered my brother…and Bruce.

"But, my brother and my friend Bruce, they must be worried sick," I tried to explain. I looked up at him again and saw what I thought was a smile on Batman's face, but it quickly disappeared.

"I'll take you home, and inform your brother and your friend Bruce of your whereabouts," he told me. Before I had a chance to object, Batman pressed some button and out of nowhere a tank looking car came smashing thru a building. I screamed and wrapped my arms around Batman. I was still a little uneasy about everything, and I will admit that I was scared beyond all belief.

"Get in," he order. A door opened and I crawled in. He got in and soon we were speeding down the streets of Gotham City. While driving, I saw Batman playing with some buttons in his car. When he was done, he glanced over at me for a second, "You're brother and friend know you are ok now. I informed Commissioner Gordon and he will inform your brother," he told me then looked back at the road.

"Thank you," I whispered. He just nodded. We reached my building. How did he know what building I lived in? I heard that Batman knew almost everything in the city, but…how?

"Good-bye, Kristina," he said. I was amazed again. "How do you know who I am?"

"I get around," was the only response I got. "Thank you, again," and that time I was sure he smiled…well at least smirked.

"Try to be a little bit more careful, next time," he told me in a softer voice. I nodded and got out.

As soon as I got out, he was sped away.

Little did I know that that would only be my first encounter with Batman.


	5. Chapter 5

I was up in my room for a total of 10 minutes before I heard the front door slam. I hadn't moved from my bed since I walked into the apartment. I was still in my ripped and torn dress, my makeup had run down my face, and my hair was everywhere.

Tim and Commissioner Gordon busted into my room. Tim rushed over to my bed and started to rub my back. "Kris, are you ok? What happened? Why did you wonder off by yourself?" I felt bombarded, so I just took a deep breath and looked up at my brother.

He saw my face. "Someone hit you," he said angrily. I just nodded again. "Kristina, I know you're very upset, and I am so sorry about what happened, but we know exactly _what_ happened to you," Commissioner Gordon said gently easing into the subject.

I nodded one last time and took a deep breath. "I went for a walk, and I guess I went too far. Men attacked me, but…" I paused, "Batman saved me," I whispered. Commissioner Gordon nodded.

"I received a message from an unknown source not long ago, telling us something happened, but you were safe by then and he had the men waiting to be picked up," Gordon said. I nodded.

"So, he's back?" my brother asked the commissioner. "He's back," the commissioner confirmed with a smile, seeming to be talking more to himself than my brother.

All of a sudden Tim started to pull me into the next room, "Commissioner Gordon, please excuse us. I need to talk to my sister alone for a moment," Tim said. "Of course," the commissioner replied, in an understanding tone.

Tim took me out of my room and gave me a hug. "I was so worried about you," my brother confessed. I started to cry again. "I know, and I'm so sorry. I should have listened, I should have taken my pepper spray…I'm sorry Tim. I really am," he hugged me again.

"It's ok, but don't you _ever_ go anywhere without that pepper spray again, do you understand me?" he spoke to me in the voice that our dad use to use…when we were in trouble. I just nodded.

While my brother was talking to me, someone knocked at our door. I was now getting use to the routine of my brother answering the door with his gun drawn. It didn't seem so ridiculous now. He looked through the peep-hole, and put his gun away. Tim opened the door and to my surprise, Bruce Wayne was standing there.

Bruce stormed in, "I'm sorry I'm late. Where is she?" I heard him ask in an anxious voice. He saw me standing behind Tim; he rushed over to me. "Are you alright, Kristina?" he asked as he gently stroked my cheek. I nodded, "I'm ok now," I told him. Then my brother interrupted us.

"Good, now that you're here Bruce, Commissioner Gordon and I are going to go on patrol for awhile in the area where Kris was attacked," he started calmly, but I interrupted him, "No! Don't leave," I begged.

My brother hugged me, "Listen to me Kris, Mr. Wayne is going to stay here with you. He's a pretty big guy, and from he's a good friend of Commissioner Gordon. He seems to be your friend as well," he said the last sentence with a wink and a tiny grin. This caused me to smile. "I trust him with you, and you know I don't say that often," it was true…he didn't, "I shouldn't be gone too long, and like I told you before, if you need _anything_ you call me," I nodded, but this time without my ritual salute.

Soon Tim was gone. I decided that I needed to clean up, so Bruce went into the living room while I took a shower and changed into some sweats.

Bruce and I were sitting on the couch watching the History Channel. He was still in his tux from earlier tonight, and there I was sitting in sweatpants and an oversized T-shirt. I wanted to cry. There was no way I would ever be good enough for him. I mean just look at this, we're in this dingy little apartment watching T.V…billionaires don't do that.

I decided to break the silence, "I'm sorry that you're stuck here babysitting me…"

He scoffed. "I am not _babysitting_ you, I'm protecting you."

"I'm sorry that I'm so boring," he laughed. "What? Watching the History Channel in silence is boring to you?!" he pretended to be offended. I couldn't help but laugh.

"There's that beautiful smile," Bruce said earnestly, while gently touching my chin. I blushed. Bruce's hand softly moved up to the place where the robber had struck me. I looked into his eyes, but he was concentrating so hard on my bruise that he didn't notice. He lightly ran his fingers across it, and then looked me in the eyes. I saw anger, which in all honesty sort of frightened me at the moment.

"I'm sorry that someone did that to you," Bruce whispered to me. I nodded. "It's ok now; I don't really feel it anymore. What I'm really upset about is, I have a job interview tomorrow, and now I'm gonna have this big ugly mark on my face," I said almost back to crying again.

"No mark on your face would ever make you look ugly," Bruce whispered to me. I just blushed. I didn't know what to say. "And if you need me to, I will go down to the place and try to buy it. That way you know for sure you'll get the job," I laughed. "No, it's fine Bruce."

…Silence…

All of a sudden Bruce got up, turned off the T.V. and turned on the radio. I was so confused. What was he doing?

He held out his hand for me, "I do believe you owe me a dance, Ms. Morris," I laughed quietly. "Didn't you learn your lesson the first time I stepped on your foot, Mr. Wayne?" I asked playing along. He smiled, "I'm a slow learner," he said as he pulled me up. I landed against his chest, and suddenly I got a sense of déjà vu. I shrugged it off.

"Now, just like before, Ms. Morris, except this time try not to step on my feet," he teased.

"Hey! That's not nice; you knew it was my first time dancing like that," I said offended.

"Ok, ok. I am sorry; will you forgive me?" Bruce said seriously.

"Hmm…I'm just going to _have_ to think about it," I said trying to keep a straight face.

"Well maybe this will help change your mind," and with that Bruce Wayne leaned down and placed a short soft kiss on my lips.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry yall but there won't be any Bruce/Batman or even Kristina in this chapter. You'll see why I need this later though, I'm taking what a little from what I saw in the Dark Knight about how the Joker acted, and adding it to my own little spin-off...Hope you enjoy, and please review. I love knowing what you think and I love yall!! Thanks!

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It was a normal day for Dr. Harleen Quinzel. She walked into work at Arkham Asylum; she was blessed to be one of the psychiatrists. Since Dr. Quinzel was one of the best ones, so she had the pleasure of working with the more dangerous criminals. Harleen had actually grown to somewhat like her job, and she was becoming use to threats being made on her life.

Dr. Quinzel walked to one of the most secure parts of the whole facility. It was the part of the building where the Joker was being held. He's been here for almost two years now, but this was Harleen's first day with him. She was becoming more anxious as she grew closer to his room. The last psychiatrist who worked with him ended up becoming mad himself, but she was confident that no such thing would happen to her.

Harleen scanned her card, the door buzzed and she walked in. As she entered the room she saw 4 guards in the room (one in each corner), and then she saw him; The Joker himself. His arms and legs were bonded down to what looked like a board that was standing upwards. He smiled as he watched Dr. Quinzel walk in.

"Alright boys, it's time for you to go. I'll buzz if I need anything," Harleen said without hesitation. She would show no sign that she was remotely nervous. The guards nodded and walked out, but not without giving the Joker one last glaring look.

Once the door was shut, the Joker spoke, "Well hello, beautiful," he said with a smile. She looked up at him seriously, "Sir, you will address me as none other than Dr. Quinzel. Do you understand?"

The Joker then busted into a fit of laughter, "I like a girl who knows what she wants," he said while eyeing her up, and licking his lips. Harleen tried to ignore him, but there was just something about him. Something attracted her to him, but she wasn't sure what. She looked into his eye. His piercing blue eyes penetrated her. For a second she felt like she was trapped by his gaze alone.

Harleen sat down in a chair, and opened up her files. "So, why do they call you the Joker?" she asked trying to remind herself where she was and what she was doing. He laughed again, "My dear, do you not see the lovely disfigurement that I have upon my face?"

"So? What does that have to do with your alias?" she asked curiously.

"I'm always smiling, my dear. Always smiling," he suddenly cackled. Harleen couldn't help but shiver at the sound of his laugh. There was something about his laugh that frightened her, but yet intrigued her all the same.

Harleen had always been a good girl throughout her life. Always following rules and listening to her superiors, but someone always seemed to take advantage of her. "I bet no one has ever walked all over him," she thought to herself.

Harleen was snapped out of her thoughts by the Joker, "Why so serious, my dear?" he asked. She looked up and made eye contact with the Joker again. His blue eyes were mesmerizing to her. It was then and there that Harleen promised herself that she would visit the Joker every day from now on…


	7. Chapter 7

Hey everyone! I'm sorry it took so long for a new chapter, I was out of town. No worries though, I'm back! Sorry this chapter isn't that exciting but it's kinda important. The next one will be full of action though! Promise! Love yall and please review! =)

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I woke up the next morning, still a little high from the night before. I was so excited that Bruce kissed me, but yet I hated that a guy could do that to me. He made me feel like a giddy school girl who has a crush on the most popular guy in school, but he was so sweet. There was no way a woman could escape his charming personality…

Once I came to my senses I was surprised that there was nothing but silence. Normally I wake up to Tim being loud throughout the house, making breakfast, getting ready, or something. Today though, it was silent. I got up and went to the kitchen to see what was going on. There I found a letter…

"Dear Kris,

Sorry I wasn't here this morning, but there's something big going on down at headquarters. I can't tell you about it right now, but I'm begging you, please put your pepper spray in your bag. It's not safe for you to be walking around in this city unprotected, I don't care how good this Batman guy thinks he is…he can't save everyone. Now, freshen up on those self defense moves I taught you, and put your pepper spray in your bag right now. When I get home we're going to have a test to see just how good you are protecting yourself, so be ready. Call if you need anything, you know the number. Take care of yourself.

-Tim"

I sighed in frustration, but did what I was told. After last night I'm not taking any chances. I saw how dangerous this city is first hand, and I didn't want to see it again. I put the spray in my bag, and then went to my computer. I searched for self defense moves, and found some pretty good websites. I read over them and practiced a little bit. My problem though wasn't that I didn't know the moves, I knew them by heart, it's just hard to apply them when you're under pressure like I was.

Then I thought about the letter again. "I don't care how good this Batman guy thinks he is…he can't save everyone," I quoted the letter. He was right. Batman can't save everyone. This city is huge; it's not possible to be everywhere at once. I was just lucky last night; I will not put myself in that kind of danger again.

My alarm suddenly went off. That meant it was time for me to get ready for my job interview. I took a shower and changed into some jeans and a fitted t-shirt. I put on a little make-up and made my hair look nicer than usual. I wanted to look casual, but not too much; this was a job interview after all.

Finally it was time for me to grab my guitar and be on my way, but of course I did have my bag with the pepper spray in it. I took a taxi to the restaurant, although I was still a little nervous to be in the city alone, but a taxi is better than walking I guess. When I arrived I was pleased with how the place looked. It was a small place with Christmas lights surrounding the doors, but right above the lights "Billy's" was written in big blue letters.

Once I walked in I was even more relived. It was full of young adults who looked like they were in college. I was grateful that it wasn't a crowd of older people; I wouldn't know what kind of music to play.

I went up to the front desk, "Um, Hi, my name is Kristina. I'm here about the music job," I explained.

The young girl at the counter nodded, "Oh, owners in the back. Go look for a green door. Just knock," she told me without ever really looking at me.

"Okay," I mumbled to myself as I walked away, looking for the room. Once I found it, I knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in!" I heard a voice yell. I opened the door to see this lady who looked to be in her late 50s early 60s, and I was surprised to see this was the person who owned his place.

"Hi, I'm Kristina," I said with a smile on my face, trying to be as friendly as possible. She smiled back.

"Hi Kristina," she said politely, "I'm Mary. I'm the owner of this place, and I'm in desperate need of some live entertainment. Do you think you could provide us with some?" While she was talking, I noticed that she had dark circles under her eyes, and looked very tired.

"I'll try, ma'am," I said still trying to be friendly. I was very nervous.

Mary pulled out a chair, "Well, take a seat, and let's hear it," she said.

I sat down and pulled out my acoustic guitar. I took a deep breath to try and calm my nerves. I could hear Mary chuckle softly, "Honey, don't be nervous. Just play," she said in a very kind voice. I nodded then started to play and sing.

Once I finished my song I looked up at Mary and she was all smiles, "I loved it! You got the job sweetie. Can you start next week?"

"Of course I can," I told her excitedly. "Good, leave your number, and I'll call you soon to let you know your schedule," I nodded and did as she asked.

"Mary," I started before I left, "Do you mind if I ask you a question?" I was a little nervous.

"Go ahead, dear," she said.

"How did you come across owning this place?" I phrased it the best way I could without flat out asking her why she owned a place like this.

She looked down and sighed. Oh no, I said something wrong. "You don't have to answer, I'm sorry I asked," I tried back tracking.

"No dear, it's ok. You see…this place use to be my son's. He was about a little older than you, but he passed away about two years ago, so I took over. It's all I have left of him really," she ended sadly.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. What happened?"

"Oh you must not have been around then. Good, I'm glad you didn't see the horror that plagued this city. It was a nightmare…There was this murder running around in a clown suit, with his face painted and everything. It was like he killed for fun, like it was some sort of sport. His name was the Joker. Finally they caught him and put him away…but unfortunately it wasn't in time to save my son," she finished quietly.

"Oh Mary, I'm so sorry," I told her sincerely. "I'm alright, Honey…Say since you're already here, how about you stay for some lunch. It's on me," this lady was so sweet.

"I'd like that. Thank you so much."

Mary and I got some food and sat down at one of the tables. We ate and made small talk. I told her about moving here with my brother and how different it is from Georgia, and she told me some more stories about her son. We got to know each other pretty well, and I was enjoying myself. She was very easy to talk to.

In the middle of one of Mary's stories everyone got silent and looked at the T.V.s in the restaurant. "Hey, turn that up!" Mary yelled.

A news report was on. The reporter was talking about an escaped criminal from one of the prisons…some asylum that I've never heard of. It then showed the picture of the criminal. It was the person Mary was talking about…it was the Joker. He had escaped, but he wasn't alone this time. This time he had a woman with him. She was in a black and red spandex suit, also dressed as a clown.

I had to admit…now I was scared…


	8. Chapter 8

WARNING: A death does occur in this Chapter.

* * *

I was debating on whether or not I wanted to leave the restaurant. Surely, the Joker wouldn't attack right when he got out of prison, especially in daylight. In all honesty though I couldn't tell you what he would do. I had no clue. I wasn't here before when it happened, I've never been around anything like this. Sure in Georgia we had criminals and all, but that's nothing compared to this.

I didn't want to be in a situation like I was in last night, so I decided to call my brother.

It took two tries for me to get a hold of him.

"Hello?" a worried voice answered. "Tim, what's going on? How did the Joker escape? Is it safe outside? I'm at my job interview, should I stay here, go home, come to the station, what? I don't know what to do," I was trying not to panic, but failing miserably.

"Kris, calm down. Nothing has happened yet, we have all our men on the lookout for him. I, myself, am about to go on patrol and look for him. If you want I could swing by there to pick you up, and then drop you off at home," he offered.

"I don't want to be home alone," I told him starting to feel sick to my stomach. "Kris, it'll be fine. We're going to get him," my brother said confidently.

"How did he get out?" I asked quietly, ignoring what my brother had just said.

"Apparently the woman that is working with him now was his shrink back at the asylum. She had been seeing him for weeks, and we can only imagine that he subconsciously brain-washed her. Her name is Dr. Harleen Quinzel, but now she seems to be going by Harley Quinn, you know, like the harlequin jesters," Tim explained to me.

"Oh," I said quietly.

"Kris, everything's going to be fine. I promise," and as if on cue the door slammed open and the sound of gunshots filled the room followed by screams of terror.

"Alright, everybody down!" I heard a high-pitched squeaky voice yell. If the gunshots hadn't scared me to death I would have probably just laughed in her face. Her voice wasn't intimidating at all.

"Kris!" I heard my brother yell at the other end of the phone, "Kris are you alright?!"

"Calm down, calm down," the man with the painted face said casually to everyone as he walked around the room. I tried to stay low and hide behind a table. "We just want the money. I don't have the energy for anything else yet," he said almost mumbling.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw someone move…then I heard the gun. A man fell down to the floor…dead.

"I lied," the Joker said, and then broke out into a fit of laughter.

"Tim," I whispered into the phone, "send your men here to 'Billy's' restaurant on 3rd street," I told him before I hung up the phone. Right when I closed my cell phone it was ripped from my hands.

"Hey, Mista J," the lady I now knew was a former psychiatrist who had gone mad, yelled out to the Joker, "this girl here told somebody where we're at," she grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled me out from my hiding spot.

She threw my cell phone on the ground and smashed it. "Oops, I'm sorry honey…" she said in one of the fakest voices I've ever heard, "…it slipped," she giggled.

I tried not to freak out as I saw the Joker walking towards me. "Well, well, what do we have here? A heroine are you, my dear?" he questioned me while walking closer. Finally he stopped when his face was inches from mine.

"Does your mouth get you into trouble a lot?" he asked as he examined the bruise that I received the night before. I couldn't answer his question though. I was too terrified. I didn't know what to say.

"What's a matter? Is it the scars? Wanna know how I got 'em?" Then I noticed that he pulled out a knife. My eyes grew wide. He was going to cut me…I've heard about this line before…

I managed all my strength to pull away from Harley's grip she had on my hair. "Don't come any closer," I warned him. I remembered all my self-protection moves that I had gone over this morning. The only thing is…I don't think they would work against the gun that Harley was holding.

"Want me to finish her off for you, Mista J?" Harley asked pointing the gun directly at my face.

"Now, now, beautiful," the Joker gently stroked Harley's cheek, "Don't go spoiling all the fun just yet. I like a woman with a little fight in her," the Joker said, glancing over his shoulder at me. Harley scoffed and pouted.

The Joker walked closer to me, without saying a word. I stepped back, "Don't touch me," I threatened, but that didn't stop him. He just smiled and licked his lips. "I mean it…" I tried to sound as threatening as I could. No avail…

Eventually I was backed up against the wall.

"Harley. Get the money," he ordered without taking his eyes off of me.

I jumped as I heard the door bust open a second time within 10 minutes. This time it revealed several cops who stormed into the room. One, I noticed, was my brother.

Before the cops could do anything the Joker wrapped his arm around me, and held the knife to my throat. Harley also stopped what she was doing to point her gun at the men who just entered the room.

"Don't touch her!" my brother yelled at the Joker. The Joker smirked.

"You know…she's very beautiful…" the Joker told my brother, as he ran the knife up and down my throat. I looked at Tim...

I saw rage behind his eyes. He wanted to murder this man standing next to me. If I wasn't standing so close to the mad-man, I believe he would have.

Suddenly I heard a window smash, but my surprise was short-lived. I felt a sharp pain in my neck. The Joker jerked his hand when the window was broken and he lightly sliced my neck, but it wasn't deep enough to kill me.

Once I realized that it wasn't fatal, I looked up to see what caused the window to break. There, in broad daylight, stood Batman.

"Let her go," Batman demanded in the most intimidating voice I've ever heard.

"Ah, Batman! It's so nice to see you again…I thought you had skipped town, you know…with what happened with the last girl you tried to save," the Joker cackled as he wiped some blood from my neck.

Now that both my brother and Batman were here, I was starting to become braver. I wanted to help save myself. I decided while Batman and the Joker were talking I would make my move. I made eye-contact with my brother, and eyed the Joker, trying to tell Tim that I was going to hit him while he was distracted.

Tim shook his head no, but I knew I could do this, so I made a gesture towards Harley. While I hit the Joker I wanted Tim to take out Harley. She was the one who had the gun. I could handle a knife. I knew I could.

So, it was then when I stomped on the Joker's toe, and to my surprise it caused him to drop the knife. I thrust my hand upwards into his nose, hopefully breaking it. Harley had been distracted by Batman, so she was late to react. She only saw the Joker holding his nose and laughing. He laughed at the pain I was causing him, but I decided to move away from him quickly as possible.

My brother was quick to shoot Harley in the arm causing her to drop the gun and fall to the floor, yelping like a dog in pain. The other cops ran to her, while my brother and Batman tried to subdue the Joker. The Joker, though, had a bigger knife hidden and pulled it out before they reached him; then I saw it… the Joker quickly stabbed my brother in the side. I screamed out for him, while one of the cops held me back.

Tim got in one damaging punch to the Joker's face before he fell to the floor. Before I broke free of the cop's grasp, I saw Batman beating the life out of the Joker. The cops that had just apprehended Harley Quinn now had to pry Batman off of the Joker.

I ran to kneel beside my brother, and took his hand into mine.

"Tim," I started to tear up, "please don't leave me. You're all I have. You promised to always be there for me…please don't go. I need you," I begged as I tried not to sob.

My brother gently rubbed my arm. He was losing a lot of blood, and fading fast. I knew he was going to die. All I could do was cry and beg him not to leave, and then I felt someone next to me. I looked up to see Batman. Tim saw him too, and he grabbed Batman's arm.

"Watch over my baby sister," he asked Batman, "please."

"I swear," was all that he replied.

"I love you, butthead," he said with a smile, "I'll tell mom and dad what a wonderful woman you turned out to be. They'll be so proud of you," then I lost it. I sobbed into his chest, and I could feel him lightly put his hand on my back and rub it. Even when he was dying, he was the one comforting me…

"I love you…please don't go," I begged one last time, hoping that some miracle would occur. Then I heard him take his last breath.

And there I sat, covered in my brother's blood, crying into his chest as he died…


	9. Chapter 9

The Joker and Harley Quinn were quickly taken away from the scene, while I was still sitting there holding onto my brother. I suddenly felt someone try to pull me away. "No!" I screamed as the person pulled against me. I started fighting against the person, pushing them, punching them, and even kicking them. I didn't want to leave Tim, because I knew if I did then reality would hit me, and I would know that this isn't a dream; that my brother really was dead. The only family I had left was gone…

While I was fighting with the force that was pulling me away from Tim, I noticed that the person was very strong; I was fighting with all my might but they didn't budge. It was like hitting a brick wall. I looked up to see Batman. Anger took over my emotions. I wanted to blame someone, and since the Joker wasn't there anymore, I wanted to blame him. I shoved him, but he didn't let go of me.

"Why didn't you save him?! He was right in front of you and you just let him die!" the anger brought tears to my eyes, "Some hero you are!" I wanted to yell the most hurtful things I could think of. I wanted him to be in pain like I was. I wanted his heart to break...but then I remembered what my brother had written just this morning in his letter…

"I don't care how good this Batman guy thinks he is…he can't save everyone."

…and he was right. He couldn't save everyone. I also remembered this is the second time he has saved me. I stopped hitting him. I couldn't take it anymore; I broke down crying into his chest, and to my surprise, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer to him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into my ear, "I wish I could go back and change it," he said with anger in his voice. "I wish I could go back and change a lot of things," he said bitterly. It was then I noticed the Joker had sliced through Batman's suit cutting his shoulder.

I pulled away to look up at him, "I'm sorry. This wasn't your fault and…" he stopped me before I could go on. "Just come with me," he said with his voice full authority.

Batman proceeded to pull me away from my brother's body, "Where are you taking me?" I asked, not really caring…just curious.

"To a friend," was the only response he gave me. I didn't respond. He could be taking me to throw me off a cliff for all I know, and I wouldn't care. The only thing I had left in this world was Bruce, and I haven't even known him for longer than a week.

Commissioner Gordon had arrived to the scene sometime when I was crying. Batman pulled me over to him. Gordon's eyes were filled with sympathy. "Ms. Morris, I am so sorry," he said full of compassion and with that, he hugged me. When he let go, I turned and noticed that Batman was gone, but I didn't say anything.

I started to cry, "Mr. Gordon, I don't know what to do. I don't know where to go. He was all I had. He took care of me," I started sobbing again.

"Don't worry about where you're going to go. Your brother died in the line of duty, he is a hero. This city will take care of you, Ms. Morris," right after he said that my anger came back.

"I hate this city…if it wasn't for this city, I would still have my brother," I said trying not to scream again.

He sighed. "I know, Ms. Morris, but please don't leave. At least not yet; we will provide proper services for Timothy. He will receive a hero's funeral. He was the best men I've ever worked with," Commissioner Gordon finished quietly.

"I'm sorry Commissioner, but there is no way I can stay in that apartment by myself," I told him honestly.

"Don't worry, Kristina. I personally, will find you a place to stay with only someone who I have the upmost respect for, but until then you will stay with me," I sighed.

I was defeated.

"Ok," I mumbled…

* * *

Later that night I was at Commissioner Gordon's house. I had not gone back to the apartment, and I will not go back until I have a permanent residence. I had changed out of my bloody clothes, and into some that were given to me by his wife. I cleaned and bandaged my neck wound where the Joker had cut me.

I sat in the bathroom alone for what seemed like hours. I didn't want to move, I just wanted to stay in here forever, or at least until I died.

A knock came at the door. "Kristina, you have a visitor," I heard Mrs. Gordon tell me. Who could it be? Maybe it was a friend of the Joker's come to finish me off and get it over with. I sighed and got up.

I walked downstairs to see Bruce standing there in jeans and a black t-shirt with a worried look on his face. It was weird seeing him in casual clothing. He noticed me before I got all the way down the stairs and ran up to meet me.

He engulfed me in a hug and just held me close to him. I sighed and rested my head on his shoulder. For the first time in hours I felt like I had someone to lean on, to trust. I noticed that Mrs. Gordon had left to give us some privacy.

Bruce led me down the stairs and we sat down on the couch. He gently took my hands into his and rubbed them, "Are you ok?" he asked me softly. I tried not to tear up.

"I'm not dead," was the best answer I could come up with right now. He nodded.

"If it helps, you can talk to me. I know what you're going through…when I was young my parents were killed, and after that all I had was my butler, Alfred. He's my family now," Bruce said quietly. I nodded.

"Thank you, but I don't think I'm ready to talk yet. Maybe sometime soon though," he nodded. "I understand."

A silence filled the room for several minutes until I heard Bruce take a deep breath. "Kristina, please don't leave Gotham," Bruce said while looking me in the eyes. I was in awe at how beautiful his brown eyes were. I didn't want to stay here, but I don't know how anyone could say "no" to that gorgeous face of his.

"Bruce…it's so hard. I'm alone now. No family. No friends. Just me…and plus I don't have anywhere to stay. There is no way I can stay in that apartment anymore, and I'm only staying here until after my brother's funeral," I told him in all honesty.

"What about me?" he asked in a voice filled with pain. "Am I not your friend?"

"Bruce that's not what I…"

"No," he cut me off, "Kristina, I know we haven't known each other long, but I want you to stay here. I want to be your friend…I want to be more than your friend. Stay here, you can live with me," I was shocked.

"Bruce, I couldn't," I started.

"You can. Stay with me, my place is too big for just me and Alfred. Plus after what just happened, you need someone to look after you, make sure you're alright; I will do that for you, Kristina. At least give it a try for awhile, and then if you hate it I'll willingly let you go no matter how much it hurts me inside," he said trying to make a deal.

I took a deep breath, "Fine," a small grin came across his face.

"Alright then, I'll tell Commissioner Gordon about your new living arrangements," Bruce said as he walked into the next room.

I took a deep breath…I had no clue what I just got myself into.


	10. Chapter 10

Right before Bruce left he told me that I would be moving in with him as soon as we could get my things moved. I told him that I was nervous about getting my stuff from the apartment, so he offered to have someone do it for me. As much as I hated people doing things for me, I gladly accepted his offer.

I was now lying in bed staring up at the ceiling. The scene of my brother being murdered played over and over again in my mind. The anger was once again coming back. I wanted the Joker to die…I know that someone killing him won't bring my brother back, but I don't care. The Joker doesn't deserve to be alive; he's a waste of space.

I rolled over onto my side and started to cry.

In the middle of my crying session I heard something hit my window. I slowly walked over, opened it and stuck my head out. I looked around, but didn't see anything. Finally, I looked up and saw that Batman was hanging from one of the fire escape ladders.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, truly confused. I wasn't in trouble or anything, at least not that I knew of.

"I swore to your brother that I would watch over you, so that's what I'm doing," he said in his scratchy voice. I think that was the longest I've ever heard him speak.

"You don't need to watch out for me tonight, I'm not going anywhere," I told him in all honesty.

He jumped down to a lower fire escape right across from me. "How are you doing?" he asked with a little more emotion to his voice. I decided to tell him what I had told Bruce.

"I'm not dead," I said with a shrug. I noticed that he was still wearing his suit with a slice in it

"How's your shoulder?" I asked him.

"Been better." Ok now this was getting weird. How do you make small talk with a man dressed up as a Bat who goes around fighting crime?

"I actually came by to give you this," he threw something at me. I caught it and saw that it was a watch.

"Uh, thanks, but I already have a watch," I said very confused as to why he was giving me this.

"No. If you lift up the face plate you'll see a tiny button. If you are ever in any danger I want you to press it, and it'll directly inform me. Now I won't have to stalk you all the time," he said with what I think I saw a tiny grin.

"I don't need this," I told him, about to throw it away. "No!" he said with a very deep intimidating voice. "You wear it at all times. I swore to your brother, and if you have any respect for his wishes, you will wear it. Do you understand?"

I sighed. He's right; it would be what my brother would want. I looked up at him while I put the watch on my wrist.

"I'll only take it off when I take showers," I promised.

"Good," he said as he was about to disappear again.

"Wait!" I called out. He stopped what he was doing and looked at me. "Thank you for saving my life… twice now. I know I wasn't very appreciative last time we were together; I'm sorry about that," I told him truthfully.

I wanted him to come close to me, but there was no ladder on my building. "There's no need to thank me," he said surprisingly softly. We made eye contact for about 20 seconds before he looked away.

"I need to be going," he started.

"Wait!" I said once more, "Who are you? Why do you do what you do?" There were so many things I wanted to ask him.

"Maybe one day," he said softly again before he once again disappeared into the night.

It was now the next morning, and the only thing I have done is take a shower and of course, put on the watch that Batman gave me. It was now around 4 o'clock in the afternoon and I still have not moved since the shower. I just couldn't seem to find the motivation. Mrs. Gordon came in a couple of times to check up on me, but I told her I was fine…just tired.

Around 6 I heard a knock at my door. "Come in," I said expecting it to be Mrs. Gordon again, but to my surprise it was Bruce. He walked in wearing dressy clothes, and carrying what looked like a dress. "Hi beautiful," he said with a smile. I couldn't help but grin.

"Someone's in a good mood today," I told him. He sat down beside me on the bed.

"Mrs. Gordon told me you locked yourself up in this room all day, so I came to rescue you," he said with a wink and a smile. I smiled back at him.

"Oh really? How do you plan on doing that?" I asked.

"Dinner and a surprise," he said. "Isn't it supposed to be dinner and a movie?" I asked trying to be happy.

Bruce chuckled. "I guess you're right, but I'm going to stick to my original plan," he said, "now, go put this dress on and get ready. We're going to have a wonderful night," he finished with a smile as he walked out of the room.

I put on the dress. It was a beautiful pale yellow dress that actually complimented my skin and hair color. I loved it; Bruce has pretty good taste. Crap, I don't have any makeup to put on. Since I couldn't put on any makeup I tried to fix my hair to look even better than it normally would, hoping I could distract from my bare face.

I then remembered something else…I didn't have any shoes. "Bruce," I called out to him from the other side of the door, "I don't have any shoes to wear."

He cracked the door open just enough to slide in a pair of beautiful sliver shoes. I took them and slid them on; they fit perfectly. I looked in the mirror one last time before opening the door. I had to admit, I didn't look that bad despite the fact I wasn't wearing any makeup.

I opened the door for Bruce to see. "Wow," he said slowly, "you look amazing," he said while never taking his eyes off me. I blushed. "Thank you. I'm sorry but I don't have any makeup," I told him explaining why my face was bare. "You're perfect. Makeup would only ruin such a beauty," he said while taking my hand and lifting it to his lips. I giggled. "Thank you." It was then when he noticed I was wearing this watch that looked a little too big for my wrist.

"What is that?" he asked. I paused. I didn't know what to tell him really, "Uh, it's my watch. It doesn't really go with my dress does it?" I joked trying to calm my nerves. I really didn't want to tell him about Batman.

"No, but if you want to wear it…" he trailed off. I laughed, "No, no. I'll take it off, just let me hook it onto my purse," I told him as I went over and hooked it to my bag.

Soon after that we were on our way. Bruce took me to this beautiful restaurant that looked so expensive I felt like I had to pay just to look at the building; I was later informed that Bruce owned it. We talked, laughed, and had fun all throughout dinner. I must admit, despite all the stuff that happened the past couple of days, I finally felt at ease.

"Where are we going now?" I asked as Bruce as we got back into his car. "This is the surprise part," Bruce said with a smile. I smiled back at him. After a couple of minutes in the car, Bruce asked me to put on a blindfold. I did as he asked. I felt him park the car, "Ok, stay here until I get you, and no peeking," he said somewhat seriously.

I heard him open up my door and he led me inside…inside of what though, I didn't know. We walked a little until finally we stopped.

"Ok, take off the blindfold," he said.

Once the mask was removed what I saw shocked me. It was a huge luxurious room filled with all my belongings from my old apartment. My jaw dropped.

"This is your new room, Kristina," Bruce told me with a grin. I couldn't help myself; I turned and engulfed him in a bear hug.

"This is wonderful, thank you so much," I told him sincerely. He gently stroked my cheek and leaned in to give me a gentle kiss on the lips. I gently rubbed his back while our kissing became more passionate. My hands slowly slid to his shoulders while I gently rubbed, until Bruce pulled away in what seemed like pain.

"Oh my gosh, Bruce! I'm so sorry," I was so embarrassed.

"No, don't be. It's just a little sore. I think I slept on it wrong," he told me while moving his shoulder up and down trying to ease the pain. I gasped when I saw his perfect white shirt become stained with a red liquid.

"Bruce, you're bleeding!" I exclaimed. "Let me see," I went to unbutton his shirt, "No!" he pulled away from me.

"Bruce, what is wrong with you?" I asked, truly hurt. I only wanted to help. "It's nothing, I'm fine. Really," he said trying to comfort me. "Please just let me look at it," I begged.

"It's only a little cut," he said trying to make me feel better. "If it is, then why won't you let me see? I've taken first aid classes before; I can help," I told him truthfully.

He sighed as he gave up and sat down on what was now my bed. I sat down beside him and unbuttoned the first couple of buttons on his shirt. I looked at his face before actually looking at the wound. He looked worried for some reason; he probably thought I was going to hurt him or something.

It was then when I saw it. A cut open shoulder that looked to have home-made stitches holding it together; the stitches had come out prematurely which was causing the bleeding. Then I remembered…Batman had this wound; the Joker cut him before he was taken out.

I gasped again and pulled away to look at Bruce. He sighed and looked down for a minute, then back up at me. He looked into my eyes; it was then I knew. I had seen those eyes before…just last night.

"Bruce…you're…" I couldn't get it out.

To my surprise he smiled, and grabbed my wrist; the one that had the watch on it earlier. "I do believe, Ms. Morris, you _promised_ that you would only take off your watch for a shower," Bruce said slyly. That was the last thing I remember hearing before I fainted…


	11. Chapter 11

I groaned as I slowly opened my eyes. I tried to wipe away some cold liquid that was being dripped on my face. I could hear someone trying to speak to me, but my brain wasn't functioning properly yet. I opened my eyes to see an older man sitting on the edge of my bed with a washcloth that he had been using to wipe my face. I jumped a little when I didn't recognize the man who was taking care of me.

"Who are you?" I asked bewildered. The man smiled kindly at me.

"I'm Alfred Pennyworth; Master Wayne's butler," he told me gently. I smiled, and slowly sat up against the headboard of the bed.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Pennyworth," he stopped me.

"No, please. Call me Alfred," he said, "Mr. Pennyworth was my father," he said with a chuckle; I knew right then that I was going to like this guy.

I could see the sunrise from my window. I was out the entire night; then I remembered Bruce.

"Alfred, where is Bruce?" I was sort of disappointed when I realized he wasn't with me…especially after what I found out last night.

"He's right over there, Ms. Morris," Alfred pointed out a very exhausted looking Bruce sitting in a chair across the room; he was asleep, but looked so uncomfortable. I started to stand up and walk over to him, but Alfred put his hand down on my shoulder, "Ms. Morris, I don't believe you should be up walking around just yet," he warned me.

"Nah, I'm fine," I told him, having confidence in myself. He moved where I could swing my legs over the side of the bed. I then noticed that I was still in my dress from the night before. I saw some clothes laid out on a chair close to my bed. I decided I would change before I woke up Bruce.

I tried to stand, but as soon as I stood up I fell right back down. Alfred smirked.

I glared at him (jokingly of course), "Don't say a word," I told him, while trying not to smile. He did a motion as if he was zipping his lips shut. I couldn't help but laugh quietly.

I tried to stand up again, and this time I was successful. I took a baby-step to see if I had the strength to walk; I was a little wobbly, but other than that I was fine.

Alfred smiled, "I'll leave you two alone," he said and soon was out the door.

I changed as fast as I could with my body turned away from Bruce…just in case.

I then slowly made my way over to Bruce, and finally when I did I sat down on the arm of his chair. I looked down at him and noticed that his cheekbone had a deep purple bruise. He must have gone out last night as Batman…

I can't believe it…Bruce Wayne is the infamous Batman. The man that I've developed such strong feelings for is Gotham City's dark knight. How has he pulled this off for so long? I sighed sadly as a realization came to me…

Once again, here I am. The only person I have left puts himself in danger constantly. What if I lost him too? I wouldn't be able to bare it. He's the only reason that I even got out of bed yesterday. The only good thing about this is he isn't bound by the same rules that my brother was. He doesn't have to play by the book, and he's been doing well so far…I guess. That was the only comfort I could offer myself right now.

I wanted to cry, but instead I held it in. I didn't want Bruce to wake up and the first thing he sees is me sobbing again, so I took a deep breath and put the crying on hold. I would save it for later tonight when I'm by myself.

I looked down at Bruce again. Not only is he kind, funny, handsome, and charming, but he is brave too. I remembered the two times that Batman had saved me before…now I knew that the man was Bruce. Bruce had saved me.

I reached down to gently stroke his cheek, but right before I could touch him, his arm shot up and caught me by the wrist. The action frightened me so much that I let out a little yelp and jumped up from my seat, but Bruce didn't let go.

He actually pulled me into his lap, "I'm sorry, Kristina. I didn't mean to startle you," I nodded. "It's ok," I told him quietly. He gently released my wrist. I reached up and gently touched his cheek.

"Are you ok?" I asked him softly. He looked me in the eyes, "I'm fine now that I'm back with you," he told me as he leaned in and kissed my forehead.

"No, I mean how is your cheek? Would you like me to get you some ice?" He looked at me with a confused look.

"You're the only who fainted last night, but you want to be on your feet and do things for me?" he asked with a smile.

"Well, I wasn't the one out all night fighting crime," I told him seriously; his smile disappeared.

"About that," he started, "maybe we should talk," he said hesitantly.

I nodded. "I agree. Talk," I said.

He then explained to me how his parents died, about his "disappearance" for awhile, his fear of bats, and how he transformed himself into Batman. He even told me about the last time the Joker was running lose throughout Gotham, and how he lost a woman who was close to him, Rachel.

"She was my best friend since I was little," Bruce was telling me about her, "and I let her die," he finished sadly with his head down.

I gently rubbed his arm, "Bruce, I'm sure you did everything you could possibly do to save her," I said trying to comfort him.

"For awhile I thought me and her were going to be together. That was until about a year ago when my depression had gotten so dreadful that Alfred finally broke down and told me that she had left a letter…it said she was going to marry someone else," he sighed, "that was what I needed to slowly but surely let her go," he said looking up at me.

"I still miss her terribly, but I've come to realize that she wouldn't want me moping around, being depressed all the time. And I'm sure that's what your brother would say too. Tim would want you to have fun, live your life…live it safely, but still live it," he told me with a soft smile.

I nodded, trying to hold back the tears. My brother was still a sensitive subject for me.

"I can also promise you that you are staying in the safest place in Gotham," he whispered, as if trying to give me reasons to stay, but I wasn't planning on leaving him anytime soon.

He softly ran his fingers through my hair, "No one will ever harm you; not while I'm here. I'm like your own personal knight in shining armor" he joked lightly as he pulled me closer into him. I rested against his chest, closed my eyes and smiled.

"I would hardly call your armor shiny," I joked with him. I heard him chuckle softly.

We stayed like that for awhile until I heard his breathing regulate; I knew he was asleep. I tried to wiggle out from his arms but he would only pull me in closer. I tried again, but this time I heard him sigh, "Stop moving," he told me nonchalantly. I laughed quietly; he was so cute.

"Bruce, you shouldn't be sleeping in this chair. Go lay down in a bed," I told him as I finally made my way out from underneath his arms. I saw one of his eyes peek open.

"I'll go only if," he started out slowly, "you come with me," he said with a smirk, still peeking through one eye.

I laughed, "Fine, but only sleep will be taking place there," I told jokingly, but truly meant it. He chuckled, as he got up from his chair. I noticed he stood up slowly, like his body was sore.

I frowned to myself. I don't want him to be hurt all the time. I decided to gently rub his back while we walked over to my bed. "That feels nice," he said quietly. I could tell he was already half asleep.

He flopped down onto the bed face first. I started to walk away and let him rest but I heard him call out to me, "And just where do you think you're going, Ms. Morris?"

"Uh, to bed?" I said walking back towards the bed and crawling in next to him. He laughed and moved over to give me a little room. I decided I would keep rubbing his back.

I heard him sigh with content, but soon I heard a faint snore coming from him. I gently laid next to him and I too quickly fell asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Hey guys, I'm sorry if this one isn't as good or as long as you expected. I was going to write more, but right now I'm just feeling so sick that I just want to sleep. Anyways, thank you to all of you that leave reviews, they make my day! I'm so glad y'all like my story, and as long as you keep reading, I'll keep writing (no matter how sick i am! lol) but anyways, I hope you like this chapter if not, don't judge too harshly, I'm all drugged up on nyquil lol

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It was now the morning of Tim's funeral and I had just finished getting ready. All I did was put on a simple black dress, and brush my hair. No makeup, nothing fancy at all just because I knew I would just cry it all off anyway. The only accessory I had was the ugly black watch that was too big for my wrist…but I promised Bruce I would wear it.

Bruce informed me that he would be my escort because he thought I didn't need to be alone at a time like this. Now he was in his room getting ready, while I was sitting on my bed thinking about my brother. Soon I started to cry. I missed him so much; I just wish we could have had a little more time together.

I heard a soft knock at my door, "May I come in?" it was Bruce.

"Yeah," I said quietly. I watched Bruce walk in. I noticed that he looked very handsome in his tux.

He walked over to me and quickly noticed that I had been crying, "Oh, Kristina," he said softly, as he sat down next to me, pulling me into him.

I tried to quickly stop crying; I didn't want to ruin his suit. I wiped my tears away and looked up at him. He gently stroked my cheek, wiping away some stray tears I missed.

"It's going to be ok, Kristina," Bruce said, "I'm here now," he kissed my lips softly.

I slowly pulled away, and leaned against his chest. It was so comforting just being held in his arms, but soon we heard a knock at the door.

"Excuse me, Master Wayne, Ms. Morris, but if you do not leave now, you will be late for the service," Alfred told us.

The funeral was a public service that took place outside in the center of downtown Gotham. Bruce and I sat at the front of the stage by Commissioner Gordon. I saw that they had a podium set up. I hope they weren't expecting me to say something, although I knew I should. I just didn't want to get up there and cry in front of hundreds of people.

So far everything has been going smoothly. Commissioner Gordon got up to speak, so did a few of Tim's fellow policemen, even Bruce gave a short speech. The mayor was now up at the podium, and I heard him announce my name and ask if I wanted to say a few words.

I wanted to, but I didn't know if I could. I decided to give it a shot. I walked up to the podium and cleared my throat as quietly as I could.

"Good Afternoon everyone, I'm Kristina Morris; Timothy Morris' younger sister," I started out nervously, "you know," and before I could finish my sentence, one of the buildings above us exploded like a bomb went off inside of it. Everyone screamed and started panicking.

Bruce ran over to where I was and laid his jacket on top of me, so I wouldn't be harmed by the raining down glass.

"What's happening?" I almost had to yell so Bruce could hear me.

"I don't know," he said while looking around for any sign of danger.

Then I saw coming out of a thick cloud of smoke was the Joker, but this time he was without Harley. Bruce saw him immediately, "Quick, we need to get you out of here," he told me franticly, but it was too late; the Joker had seen me.

I could feel Bruce pulling at my arm, but I couldn't seem to take my eyes off the Joker. He was there, staring straight at me with a smile on his face. The anger came back; I wanted to kill him, I wanted to make him suffer.

While I was lost in my angry thoughts, Bruce had been pulling me away from the danger. I then saw that Commissioner Gordon had seen the Joker and moved into action. I was still moving with Bruce until I felt him suddenly stop. I turned around to look at him, only to see that someone had smashed the butt of a shotgun into his face.

"Bruce!" I screamed as I tried to kneel down beside him, but now someone else was now tugging at me. I looked up to see Harley Quinn who was dragging me away from Bruce. To my surprise she was very beautiful without her face painted and whatnot. She dropped the shotgun on the ground and pulled out a smaller one.

"Don't try anything sweet cheeks," she told me threateningly while holding the gun to my head. I saw Bruce wipe his nose and look up to see me. He froze instantly.

"Don't hurt her," he said in a firm tone. Harley laughed, while starting to walk away from Bruce, still holding me.

"_I'm _not going to hurt her," she said in her high-pitched voice, and for the first time since I knew Bruce, I saw fear in his eyes. I then noticed that the Joker had walked up next to Harley.

"Don't follow us…or else the girl gets it," she said pushing me roughly towards the Joker. I stumbled a little and fell into the Joker. He laughed.

"No need to worry my dear," he said while pushing the hair away from my face, "we'll have plenty of time. No need to be throwing yourself at me just yet."

He looked at Bruce, "Don't worry about her, I'll take _very good _care of her," he said while pulling me off stage by my hair. Tears had started falling from my eyes.

I glanced back one last time to see Bruce shaking with anger. He was going to come for me, I knew he was.


	13. Chapter 13

Darkness surrounded me as I stumbled and fell against what I guessed was the floor. The sting of my knees scraping against the concrete shot throughout my body, as someone pulled away the bag that was covering my head. I looked up to see the Joker smiling down at me.

"I have to go take care of some business now," he cooed while sliding his knife down my throat gently, "but don't you worry. I'll be back for you soon," he laughed insanely as he slammed the cellar door in my face.

My hands were tied together behind my back, but that didn't stop me from struggling to get to my watch. I managed to open the faceplate and press the miniature button. All I could really do now was sit and wait, hoping that Bruce got my signal and would soon be here to save me.

I sat up on my now bloody knees so I could see out of the tiny window of my cellar. I saw Harley sitting outside the door filing her nails. I looked down and started to cry. Why were they doing this to me? What made me so special? I just wanted to be back home in Georgia, but then I got to thinking about death. Maybe this is how it's supposed to be. Maybe I am supposed to die now; I'd finally be home with my mom, dad, and brother.

I started to cry harder. I then accepted the fact that there was a great possibility that I would be dead soon. The only thing now that I wish I could do was to tell Bruce how much I cared about him. When you're on the verge of death, your priorities are finally straightened out and you see what really means the most to you in life. Now that my family was gone, Bruce was the most important thing to me in this life. I know that I haven't known him very long, but I've never felt this way before. Was it possible that I was falling in love with Bruce Wayne? I think so.

My crying soon turned into sobs. I had just realized that I was falling in love with the most wonderful man alive, and now there was a great probability that I would never see him again.

My sobs had gotten Harley's attention. She walked over to the door, and opened a little slot so she could talk to me.

"What you crying for, sweet cheeks?" she asked. I shook my head; I really didn't want to talk to her.

"Aw c'mon, I'm not as bad as you think I am," she said in an unusually soft tone. I then remembered that she use to be a psychologist.

I sighed and took a deep breath trying to calm down. "I just realized that I'm in love with a wonderful man, and now I'll probably never see him again," I managed to get out before the sobs came back again.

I noticed that she didn't say anything so I looked up at her, and to my surprise she kneeled down by the door.

"You're in love?" she said softly. I nodded, "And the worst part is he doesn't even know. I never got to tell him," I ended in a whisper.

"Oh, my," I heard Harley say quietly. "If it helps, I know what it's like to love a man without him ever knowing…or even caring," she admitted. I was surprised. We were actually having a conversation. Maybe, just maybe I could turn her back into her old self.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked her kindly. It was now her turn to look surprised.

"You want to talk to me, even after I helped kidnap you?" I nodded.

"You're human just like me. I don't agree with some of your choices, but everyone makes mistakes, and _everyone_ needs someone to talk to," I told her trying to sound as genuine as possible.

"Well…it's Mista J," she started off. I couldn't believe it. This poor lady is in love with the Joker! She must be off her rocker.

"He was so charming back at Arkham Asylum; he even left me a beautiful rose on my desk one day…I don't know how it got there," she side tracked a little, "but he made me fall madly in love with him," she told me honestly.

I nodded silently, now becoming truly interested in what she had to say.

"He told me one day that we could be together, make our own anarchy, restore chaos to the city; he made it sound so glamorous; like him and I would be King and Queen of Gotham, but ever since we got out he's been ignoring me," she pouted like a little girl.

Right after her sentence was finished a door busted open. I tried to look past her, hoping to see Batman standing there, but to my disappointment it was the Joker. He quickly stomped over to us, and I noticed that he was bleeding pretty badly; Bruce must have gotten a hold of him.

"Oh sweet-," Harley stood up and was about to comfort him when he shoved his hand in her face, violently pushing her against a hard wall. She fell down without saying a word.

He walked over to me and opened my cell. I quickly scooted away from him, cowering in a corner.

"You," he accused angrily as he walked over in front of me, pulling me up by my arms. I had never seen him so angry before. "You think your precious Batman will save you," he then quickly laughed and went back to being angry, "he thinks beating me will somehow help you…oh how he was wrong," he finished as he quickly punched my face so hard that I fell to the ground. He pulled me back up by my hair.

"I hate to damage such a beautiful face," he said as he gently wiped away some of my blood, but then he grabbed harder to the back of my head and held his blade against the corner of my lips, "but maybe if I made you look like _me_, then he wouldn't waste his time trying to save such a hideous creature."

I was now terrified; I would rather die than have him slice open my mouth. I could feel him applying pressure…

"Wait!" I heard Harley scream; she walked into my cell standing next to the Joker. I noticed that her head was bleeding slightly, but she didn't seem to care, "Why should you have all the fun, Mista J?" she asked seductively. I saw him glance over at her without turning his head. He smiled.

"You're right. I'm going to go have a little more fun with the big bad bat, but when I return she better be smiling, my dear," he cackled and soon was out the door.

I slid down against the wall until I was sitting on the dirty floor. Harley sat down next to me. I looked over at her and saw blood dripping down her neck, "You don't deserve that, Harley," I told her softly.

She looked at me with sadness in her eyes, "You don't deserve someone who beats you or treats you the way he does," I saw a tear escape from her eye; as it slid down her face it erased the white makeup that was covering her beautiful tan skin.

"He doesn't love you like you love him, Harley. He was only using you to get out of prison," this angered her.

"No! He loves me!" she screamed at me, "Harley please, I'm begging you to open your eyes. If he loved you, he would never hit you," I told her gently.

That was when she broke down into sobs, "I use to be a doctor," she whimpered, "I use to help people who had problems like I do," she admitted.

"It's not too late Harley, you can still turn your life around. I know the old you is still in there, I know because if you were truly evil like the Joker, you would have let him cut my mouth open," I tried to convince her.

"I can help you, just come with me," I told her sincerely. She looked up at me, I could tell she was lost in thought. This was good; at least she was considering it.

She then sighed and lowered her head. "I can't," my heart sunk, "I _am _in love with him so I can't just leave him," she said sadly, "but…I _will _let you go," she said with a smile.

"What?" I asked. I couldn't believe this. "What can I say? I'm a hopeless romantic. I'm not going to sit back and let you be killed without you ever even telling that man you love him …at least not yet," she said seriously.

"I'm going to take you to ground level," that explains why Bruce never came; he couldn't receive my signal because I was underground, "and I'm going to untie and clean you up a little. Then I'm going to let you go, but I'm going to tell the Joker you overpowered me. I don't ever want to see you again; got that, sweet cheeks? If you are captured again, I can't promise that you'll leave here unscarred," she told me seriously. I nodded.

She led me to the elevator and as soon as it started moving, I started pressing the button to my watch. I pressed it over and over again until we reached the top floor, and then quickly closed it before she saw anything.

Harley kept her word and untied me. She even went into a bathroom to get a washcloth.

Quickly a window was busted and there stood Batman. "Kristina," I heard him say softly as he rushed over to me, "are you alright?"

I nodded, but before I could say anything Harley had entered the room. "You!" Batman half screamed, half growled. Harley dropped a bowl full of water and the washcloth.

"No, Batman! She's a friend, she took care of me," I said while trying to hold him back, which was more like trying to hold a hungry lion back from a zebra.

He just glared and grabbed me around the waist, "Thank you so much, Harleen," I told her using her proper name, hoping she would remember who she truly was. Then it sounded like Batman shot something and we soon were being pulled upward in the air through the roof.

My Dark Knight had saved me again.


	14. Chapter 14

Hey guys! The story is going to be over soon...I give it another 5 chapters (at most), but I'm thinking about writing a sequel...Once y'all read the last chapter you should let me know what you think. Thanks!

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Bruce was so worried once we escaped the Joker's lair that he actually brought me to this room that was underground somewhere. He pretty much carried me inside, and I was quickly blinded by fluoresce lights. Once my eyes adjusted, I looked around and saw that we were surrounded by concrete walls. The room was pretty much bare except for a wall of monitors across from the entrance we used. I looked around, amazed by what I saw.

"Where are we?" I asked dumbfounded. Bruce ignored me but kept walking until he sat me down in a chair next to the monitors. He leaned down so we were eyelevel with one another and then proceeded to look over my injuries.

I looked into his eyes while he was looking over my face; I saw pure hatred, but not towards me. I was so focused on Bruce that I hadn't even noticed that Alfred had come down, until I heard Bruce speak to him.

"Alfred, get me some peroxide," Bruce asked him. "Right away, Master Wayne," Alfred said as he quickly disappeared.

I then noticed that Bruce was still in his Batman suit. I reached to take off his mask but he quickly stopped me.

"You might not want to do that," Bruce warned.

"And why not?" I asked seriously.

"There's a device in my mask that will give a slight '_shock_' to anyone who tries to take it off," he said while gently wiping some blood away from my face.

"How does it not shock you?" I asked.

"I know the trick," he said. I could sense some sarcasm in his voice, but decided not to call him on it.

"Take it off," I tried not to sound too demanding, but failed. Finally I got him to look me in the eyes.

"No. Once I know that you're properly taken care of, I'm going back," Bruce told me seriously.

I couldn't bite my tongue in time…

"I don't want you to leave," I blurted out before I could stop myself.

Bruce gently stroked my cheek. "I'm sorry, Kristina, but I have to," he told me sadly.

I nodded, "I know," I admitted quietly, "I just don't want you to get hurt. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you," I confessed.

Alfred then appeared with the peroxide before Bruce could say anything, "Master Wayne, look at the screen." Alfred had noticed something.

Bruce and I both looked up to see that the Joker was loose in downtown Gotham. Bruce turned up the volume. The Joker was enraged and demanding for Batman to come out. He was threatening lives while people were running around like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to escape his fury.

I wanted to cry. Bruce was going to go…I knew he was. There was a chance he could get hurt…he could…I didn't even want to think about the worst that could happen. That was then when reality hit me…Bruce _really_ was Batman. There are _real _psychos out there. Before, I just accepted it, but now it's finally sinking in.

"I need to go," Bruce said as he quickly got up, "Alfred, take care of her," he ordered.

"Wait!" I screamed before he could leave. I ran up to him, and wrapped my arms around his neck. He instinctively wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into him; it was then when I reached up and kissed him passionately. I didn't care about my busted lip or the pains shooting down my legs; all that mattered was I that I was in his arms, and for that time he was mine…he wasn't going anywhere.

Bruce shortly pulled away, and looked me in the eyes.

"I love you, Bruce," I told him quietly. For the first time all day, I saw him smile. I smiled back at him. I was ecstatic. He leaned down and softly kissed my lips again.

"I love you, Kristina," he whispered as he placed his forehead against mine.

"Please be careful," I begged, feeling like I wanted to cry again.

"I will, because for the first time ever, I have someone to come home to," Bruce said as he lightly ran his hand up and down my neck.

We then heard Alfred clear his throat behind us, and look at Bruce. I could hear Bruce's low chuckle, "But, of course, I've always had Alfred," he told me with a smile. I laughed quietly and looked over to Alfred just to see him with a slight smirk on his face.

"I must go now," Bruce said seriously. I frowned, feeling the sadness and worrying return.

"No matter what happens," he started, "know that I do love you," he told me as he kissed my lips one last time.

"And, I love you," I told him softly. Bruce smiled slightly, "I'll be back for you soon," he whispered in my ear, and just like that, he was gone.

I sighed sadly as I felt Alfred gently pat my back.

"This way, Ms. Morris," he said as he led me back to the chair.

Alfred helped me clean and bandage my wounds…well actually…he did all of it, while I watched the monitor that was showing the Joker. I sat there anxiously waiting for Batman to arrive.

I finally saw Batman show up, but before the fight even began I decided to call for backup…

I picked up a phone and decided to call the only number that I knew since I moved to Gotham.

"Yes? Commissioner Gordon, its Kristina Morris…Yes, thank you. How? Batman saved me, now please; I need to ask you for a favor. Can you and as many men that you can round up go down to 23rd street? Batman will be there with the Joker…Thank you so much!"

Now all I could do was sit with Alfred and wait…


	15. Chapter 15

I sat there anxiously watching the monitors, waiting for Gordon and his men to arrive. My stomach was tense and I felt like I was having trouble breathing. I watched as Batman mercilessly beat the life out of the Joker, but I knew that any minute the tables could turn. The Joker kept begging Batman to hit him, and to my surprise Bruce actually kept doing it.

"Alfred, we gotta do something; Bruce is going to kill him!" I screamed in a panic. Alfred simply patted my back, "No, Ms. Morris. Batman doesn't kill…that is his only rule," he said still trying to comfort me.

"Maybe we should turn this off," he said moving towards the screen. I grabbed his hand, "No!" I hollered a bit too loudly, "please," I finished in a whisper. Alfred gave me a soft smile, "I'm glad that Master Wayne finally has someone who cares so deeply for him as much as you do, Ms. Morris," he said kindly. If this would have been a normal situation I would have blushed madly, but I was too concerned with Batman's fight right now.

While watching I noticed that Harley was nowhere to be found which was strange, because she was always by the Joker's side. Maybe he hurt her when he found out I escaped. She could be lying somewhere dying because of me. I had to go find her; she could be dead and it would be my entire fault.

I knew I had to get out of here, but I didn't know how. First I needed to get Alfred to leave me alone, which wasn't going to be easy since Bruce basically ordered him to take care of me. I then got an idea.

"Alfred, I'm not feeling so well. Could you please get me a glass of water and maybe some aspirin or something?" I asked making my voice sound weak and strained. He felt my forehead, and luckily for me I was sweating from the stress of Batman's fight.

"Oh my," Alfred said gasping, "I'll be right back, Ms. Morris. Just sit back and relax," he told me kindly. I felt horrible for taking advantage of him like that, but I had to get him to leave, so that I could go find Harley.

After Alfred left I quickly started looking for a button or switch to open the entrance that Bruce used to bring me down here; finally after about two minutes of pure button pushing, I triggered it. I exited as quickly as my sore legs would take me. I was still in my torn black dress that I wore to my brother's funeral, and only one of my injuries was bandaged up.

Once I was outside I really didn't know where I was, but I was sure I could figure it out. I walked around for about 15 minutes until I recognized some buildings. I knew exactly the building that Harley and the Joker held me captive at, and as much as I didn't want to, I was going back there.

The walk to the building took me another 10-15 minutes, but when I got there the door was wide open, so I slowly walked in.

"Harley," I softly cried out, "Are you in here?" I really wanted to find her. I know deep down inside she's still a good person, and I believe she could be rehabilitated.

"Harley!" I cried out a little louder as I kept walking. The building was so eerie; there were cracks in the walls, the ceiling was caving in, floor was covered in dirt, and I bet rats infested this place. I walked a little and jumped when I heard the ceiling give way a little more. I took a deep breath, relieved that it was only the ceiling.

Suddenly someone grabbed me from behind and held me in a headlock, "I told you never to come back here," I heard Harley's voice. This was the first time I've ever heard her sound threatening before, although she wasn't talking very loudly.

"I saw that you weren't with the Joker. I thought he did something to you, I was coming back to make sure you were ok," I told her honestly, but then I remembered…she did tell me not to come back unless I wanted to become scarred. I started to become slightly afraid.

To my surprise, she let me out of the headlock. I looked up at her face, and gasped. It was horrible…

The Joker had slit her mouth open at the corners. The cut was still new so she had fresh stitches in her cheeks, covered by dried blood. I felt sick to my stomach, and was becoming worried that I was going to faint.

"He did this to me once you left," she said, "because I was upset. Mista J told me I needed to smile more," she said trying to force a smile, but it was clear she was in pain.

"Harley, now's your chance, come with me," I begged her. She let out a wicked laugh that I've never heard before.

"Oh no, sweet cheeks," she said evilly, "Mista J and I are one now," she said as she slowly started walking towards me. I stepped back with every step she took towards me.

"He's going to be so happy when I bring you back to him," she said, while starring me down and pulling out a knife. For a second, I thought about my chances if I were to fight her. We were about the same size physically, and I knew how to fight pretty well. The only advantage she had was the fact that _she_ had a knife, but I decided against it, since that's how my brother died…by the knife.

Once she reached me, she grabbed me roughly by my arm and started pulling me out the building. I was scared, but I had to admit that I wasn't _that_ worried, because I knew she was taking me to the Joker, and the Joker was with Batman…and even if Batman wasn't with the Joker, I was wearing my watch, so I felt pretty confident...but deep down inside, I was trembling.


	16. Chapter 16

"Walk faster!" Harley demanded as she dragged me into a car. I started to get a little more nervous as time went on. The Joker really got to her; she was nowhere near as nice as she was before. She even hit me one time when I complained that she was hurting my arm. She brought me to a car, "Get in," she ordered.

I got into the car, and she got into the driver's seat. She held the knife towards me the whole time while she was driving just to remind me not to make any moves. Instead of fighting her, I thought about jumping out of the car and trying to make a run for it. If she wasn't going so fast I might have tried, but I chickened out.

She was driving like the maniac she was, swerving all over the road and giggling every time I gasped. I was more scared about her driving than I was of her. Soon I could see in the distance the Joker's bright purple suit, but neither Batman nor Gordon and his men were anywhere to be seen. The nervousness that took over my body was now making me feel like I was going to be sick to my stomach.

The tires squealed as Harley made a sharp turn and stopped the car. "Get out," she ordered harshly; I obeyed. Harley slammed the door once she got out, causing the Joker to look our way. His fit of laughter made me want to run and hide, but Harley came and grabbed me much rougher than she did the first time; I could only guess she was trying to show off for the Joker.

"Harley, my dear," he exclaimed to her, "you did a wonderful job! You see, I told you that a _smile_ would help," the Joker told her enthusiastically with a huge grin on his face. The whole time I was looking around for Batman, Gordon, or the cops; anyone who was around that might could help save me, but I saw no one.

The Joker walked up to me with a gun in his hand, "I knew you would come back," he grinned, "that's the thing about emotions…they're just so…_predictable_. Look at me…do _I_ look predictable to you? Those emotions you have, they just get in the way," he said while getting closer and closer to me.

"I would disagree," I told him bravely with my head held up. I wasn't about to let him know that I was petrified.

"How so, my dear?" I shivered at the pet name he called me, and I could feel Harley tighten up the grip she had on me. She was angry that he used her pet name on me.

"Well, I agree with the fact that you don't look predictable because you aren't, but I disagree that you don't have emotions. Your whole façade is based upon one emotion, happiness, is it not?" I asked him.

"Ah, my dear, you are a bright one," he said as he stroked my cheek. His hand was so cold and rough. It felt nothing like the warm soft hand of Bruce's that had touched my face ever so gently earlier today.

"But, it only adds to the unpredictability of me," he said egotistically. I was about to disagree with him again, but I decided best if I didn't make him mad.

"You know, you are very beautiful," the Joker complimented me as he pushed back strands of my hair to get a better look at my face. "And, you are quite intelligent," he kept complimenting me, circling around me like I was some piece of meat that he was about to devour.

"Now I see why he _protects_ you, _follows_ you, always _guarding_ you," he said spitefully. I kept following him with my eyes.

"Who?" I asked, although I already thought I knew the answer.

"The Bat," he said simply. "He's around here, _watching_, I know it," right after the Joker said that, some small metal thing with sharp edges flew out of nowhere knocking the Joker's gun out of his hand. I took this opportunity to elbow Harley in the stomach. She fell down to the ground, and I quickly took her knife.

"My brother taught me that," I told her smugly, standing over her body. I then quickly turned around to see Batman fighting the Joker. Harley and I both saw the gun on the ground; we both ran after it, but luckily I was successful in beating her to it.

"Please, don't shot," she begged for her life. I was appalled.

"I won't; because I'm not like _you_ or your _wanna-be_ _boyfriend_. I'm not a killer," I told her. I wasn't going to psychically hurt her, but that didn't mean I couldn't hurt her emotionally.

I unloaded the gun and threw it away; I also threw the knife down a sewage drain that wasn't too far away.

Suddenly, I heard a loud gunshot. I quickly dropped to the ground, and looked around to make sure Batman was ok. I saw both Batman and the Joker lying on the ground. I quickly got up and ran to Batman; I also saw men in black suits, finally Gordon and his men were here. They must have been the one to shoot, so I let them deal with the Joker and Harley.

"Batman!" I exclaimed as I ran to his side. I hated calling him Batman now that I knew it was Bruce. I kneeled down beside him just like I did with Tim, minutes before he died.

"Bruce," I whispered quietly to him, "what happened? Are you alright?"

I saw him press a button on his belt, "He pulled out a knife, just a small cut," Bruce said like it was nothing, but I knew he was hurt worse than he let on. I started to panic. No! This wasn't going to happen; he wasn't going to leave like my brother did.

"Where?" I asked trying to remain calm. Bruce put a hand on his side; the exact opposite side where my brother was stabbed. Tears started to fill my eyes, but I was soon taken by surprise when I saw this loud car/tank screeching to a halt. I recognized it as the car I saw the first time Batman had saved me.

"Help me get in," he asked. I helped Batman stand up and supported him the best I could on our way to his car. He was so heavy; it was like carrying a ton of bricks.

We got in and Brue pressed a button, "You are in no shape to drive!" I scolded him.

"Relax, it's like an auto-pilot button," Bruce said breathlessly. He was losing blood quickly, not as badly as Tim did, but it still wasn't good. I was looking around for something I could hold against it to stop the bleeding, but I saw nothing.

I then decided to rip the end of my dress just enough so I would have a decent amount of cloth. Bruce looked at me then quickly looked away, "What are you doing?" he asked his voice was laced with a hint of embarrassment.

I folded up the cloth and held it against his wound. "We need to stop your bleeding; if we don't soon you're going to lose consciousness," I said trying not to let my voice crack with emotion.

"Honestly though, Bruce, we need to get you to a hospital," I told him quietly.

"No. No hospital," he said sternly right before the car entered the cave room that I had escaped from earlier today.

I got out of the car first so Bruce could lean on me again. "Alfred!" I called for him, and he quickly came almost running into the room.

"Ms. Morris, you bloody well better…Oh Master Wayne, are you alright?!" Alfred started off scolding me but quickly saw something was wrong with Bruce.

"Alfred, can you phone a doctor and get him to make a house call?" I asked still a little panicky. "Right away," Alfred was off.

Fortunately for Bruce there was an entrance to his mansion from the underground room. Bruce was still leaning on me for support as we walked. As soon we got to his bedroom I helped him lie down.

"Bruce, you need to take off your Batman suit. Where are your clothes? I'll get them for you," I told him as I was getting up.

"In the closet over there," Bruce said, as he directed me to the right side of the room where I found his closet. It was filled with suits, but in the very back I finally found a pair of lounge pants and a dark blue shirt. I also found a towel lying on the floor; I grabbed it. Once I turned around I saw that all Bruce managed to get off was his mask. He cleared his throat.

"Kristina, I might need your help with this. I normally would ask Alfred with such things, but he is busy at the moment," Bruce said sounding almost apologetic just for asking.

"Of course I'll help you," I said sensitively as I gently placed my hand behind his back to help him slowly sit up.

"Zipper starts behind my neck," Brice told me quietly. I unzipped his suit as far as it would go while he was sitting.

"You ready to stand?" I asked him. He took a deep breath and slowly stood up; I held on to him just in case as I quickly unzipped the little rest that was left.

"Can you pull it off?" I asked him. I didn't want to; I was too scared that I would hurt his wound.

"Yeah, I think I can get it, just as long as you don't let me fall," Bruce said with a smile. I tightened my grip slightly.

"I got you," I said seriously. I didn't think right now was a time to be smiling or laughing.

Bruce was able to slide down his suit all the way, and then quickly fell back into the bed. His facial expression showed that he was in pain. I felt so bad; I wanted to help him; make his pain go away.

Bruce laid there in nothing but his underwear; it was then when I saw how many bruises and marks he had all over his body, and that his side that was still bleeding. He winced a little as I took the towel and held it to his wound.

A knock came at the door, "Master Wayne, the doctor is here," we heard Alfred call from the other side of the door.

"One moment, Alfred," Bruce called weakly. I hated seeing him like this, but I decided I needed to move quickly. I gently slid on his lounge pants for him, pulled the covers up, and softly kissed his lips. I decided not to put the shirt on, since the doctor would just take it off anyways. Before I got off the bed, Bruce gently stroked my arm. "I love you," he whispered to me.

I smiled softly. "I love you too," I told him with one last kiss.

"It's ok to come in now," I yelled as I quickly pushed Bruce's suit underneath his bed.

Both men came in as I moved to the side of the room so the doctor could look over Bruce. "Ms. Morris, how about you come with me?" Alfred asked me compassionately. I nodded, but before I left I walked over to Bruce.

"I'll be just outside," I whispered to him as I leaned down to kiss his forehead. He smiled at me and nodded weakly. He looked very pale, probably from the blood loss.

Alfred shut the door behind me, and then gave me a very disappointed look. "Ms. Morris, what were you thinking, running away like that?" he asked me, thankfully without yelling.

I looked down shamefully. "I'm sorry, Alfred," I whispered. "I knew it was dangerous, but I thought I was going to save Harley. I thought she was dying because of me," I said trying to justify what I did. The tears started coming back.

"There, there," he said while pulling me into a hug. I hugged him tightly, and he patted my back. We pulled away; Alfred wearing a smile. "I saw you on the monitors though, Ms. Morris, and you handled yourself bloody well," he said smirking. I laughed and wiped my eyes.

"Thank you, Alfred," I sighed. "I just hope Bruce is alright," I said as we sat and waited outside the room.

An hour later, the doctor came out of Bruce's room. Alfred and I quickly approached him.

"Dr., will he be alright?" I asked worriedly. He smiled, "Of course he will. Just let him get his rest for a couple days, and he'll be good as new," he said confidently. I felt so relieved that I actually hugged the doctor. He laughed as we exchanged our goodbyes.

I walked back into Bruce's room and sat beside him on the bed. He smiled at me as he gently took my hand.

"Doctor told me you saved my life," Bruce said still sounding fairly weak. I was shocked. How did _I _save _his _life? He was always saving mine.

"How?" I asked truly curious.

"If it wasn't for you clotting the wound, he said there was a great possibility that I would have died from blood loss," Bruce said breathlessly.

I noticed how tired and weak he was; I gently stroked his jaw line.

"Go to sleep, we'll talk more tomorrow," I said softly.

"Only if you stay with me…just so I know that you don't go on anymore suicidal missions to save a villain's life," he said with a smirk. I smiled faintly.

"Fine," I said while rolling my eyes. He chuckled softly. I laid down next to him as he wrapped one arm around me, and I finally heard the familiar sounds of Bruce's faint snores.


	17. Chapter 17

Hey guys! This is the last chapter!!!! Thanks for being such loyal readers! I love y'all!!! I'm thinking about writing a sequel...I already have some ideas going, but if you have any I would be more than happy to read some suggestions! Thanks! 3

* * *

There I was being held captive again, but this time was different. This time Batman wasn't coming for me. We had a fight and I had told him never to come for me again. I told him that I'd rather die than be saved by _him_ again. At this moment though, I can't even remember what caused the fight.

Some woman came into my holding room; she pushed me against the wall and started saying something I couldn't understand. Then I finally heard her…"Don't you wish you had your big, bad, bat coming for you?" she teased right before she hit me…

"Are you ready to die?" she asked me. No I wasn't…because the last thing I said to Bruce was I never wanted him to save me again. All I wanted now was to see him again. I wanted to hug him, kiss him, and tell him how deeply in love I was with him.

The woman then grabbed my neck and slammed my head into the wall.

I jolted awake in bed with a cold sweat and breathing heavily. I looked down to see that I had awakened Bruce, "Kristina, what's wrong?" he said groggily while gently rubbing my back. I started to cry after I realized that it was just a dream. Bruce was now fully awake, as he pulled me closer to him.

"Kristina, why are you crying?" he asked concerned. I cuddled into the side of his chest that wasn't stitched up, while he gently rubbed my back. "I just had the worse dream," I told him while trying to catch my breath.

"What was it?" Bruce whispered to me. I had to think for a second because I had forgotten some of it.

"I don't remember all of it, but the gist of it was I captured somewhere and you weren't going to come for me because we fought and I had told you not to save me ever again," I finished, wiping my tears.

Bruce kissed my lips and placed one hand softly on my cheek. "I will always come for you," he said while looking in my eyes. This caused me to cry harder.

"No," I shook my head, "No, you weren't coming. She was hurting me, and you weren't there," I cried into his chest, feeling like a frightened little girl.

"Shh," he comforted, "I'm sure I was just a little late," Bruce said while gently lifting my chin. "I swear, no matter what kind of fight we have, or what is said, I will always be there to save you. And as long as you wear that watch I gave you, I'll be able to find you, no matter where you are. I'll always being watching over you," he promised me.

I smiled faintly as he wiped the rest of my tears away and kissed my cheek.

The rest of the day flew by; we cleaned up a little but we spent most of our time just sitting in bed together talking.

* * *

Later that night, Bruce's cell phone rang.

"Hello?" he asked. "Of course, Commissioner," he handed me the phone. "It's for you," he said.

"Hello?" I asked hesitantly.

"Ms. Morris, it's Commissioner Gordon," he said sternly.

"Hi, Commissioner Gordon," I said confused as to why he was calling me.

"I wanted to call and let you know that tonight, you can sleep safely," he said proudly.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Yesterday, when we took down the Joker…He died. The bullet wound to him was fatal," he said. I felt bad that it had to end that way, but I had to admit, I'm glad he finally got what he deserved. He killed my brother; he tried to kill my boyfriend…I had no reason to feel any remorse for him at all.

"What happened to Harley?" I asked suddenly remembering her.

He cleared his throat. "Well…that's the thing that I really needed to talk to you about. Harley escaped, but we have all our men looking out for her. Honestly though, I don't think she would attack anyone without the Joker, so don't worry about her. And you're also living with Bruce Wayne now, correct?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," I confirmed.

"Good, just try not to be alone for too long, and you'll be fine, Ms. Morris. Have you found your reason to stay in Gotham City?" I smiled slightly to myself.

"I've _definitely_ found my reason," I told him a little bit too enthusiastically. I could hear his chuckle from the other end.

"Good, I'm glad. And remember, Ms. Morris, if you ever need anything, me and my family are here for you," I was overwhelmed by how sweet this man was.

"Thank you so much, Commissioner Gordon, and thank you for all that you've already done," I told him trying not to get too emotional.

"You're welcome. Tell Mr. Wayne I said hello," he said. We then exchanged good-byes and hung up.

"What did he want?" Bruce asked. He had been sitting next to me the entire time.

"The Joker is dead," I told him seriously, "but Harley got away," I said, fairly upset about her escape.

Bruce noticed my mood and hugged me softly, "Don't worry. She won't dare make a move, not without the protection of her Joker," he said comfortingly.

"Especially when she knows that _I _have the protection of _my _Batman," I told him with a smile.

He chuckled. "Yes, that you do," he confirmed.

"So…now can we have our happily ever after?" I asked while clasping my hands together and wearing a cheesy grin. He smiled faintly, but looked away from me.

"Bruce, what's wrong? I was just being overly cheesy," I was so worried that I said something wrong.

"Kristina, I don't know if I can give you that," Bruce said quietly. My stomach tightened.

"What do you mean? Give me what?" I asked worriedly.

"Your happily ever after," he said quietly while not looking at me. I sighed.

"Bruce," I started out seriously, as I put my finger under his chin, forcing him to look at me, "I know that being in a relationship with you isn't going to be like having a 'normal' relationship; I accept the fact that you are Gotham's Dark Knight, because that's who they need right now. Bruce, you are a hero...no matter what those other people say, you _are _a hero, and I'm proud of you for that. I'm not going to run away…You promised you would always come for me, well, I promise you that I'm not going anywhere," I took a breath, "A life with you, now _that _would be my happily ever after," I told him with a soft smile.

To my surprise, he actually looked into my eyes, and then gave me a passionate kiss. We laid there in bed, softly kissing until he pulled away for a moment and smiled.

"I love you," Bruce whispered softly to me. I kissed his lips, "And I love you," I whispered back.

"Alright then, I guess you do get your happily ever after," Bruce said seriously. I laughed.

"What?" Bruce asked confused. He looked almost hurt.

"We're so cheesy…I love it!" Bruce and I both were laughing now.

I sighed happily, right before Bruce started kissing me again.

Finally, I felt safe, happy, loved, wanted…everything a person could want, I had.

And to top it all off…I had my very own Dark Knight.


End file.
